


One Freaky Week

by shewasjustagirl



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Body Swap, M/M, Tropetastic Tuesday, bros, rhink, sort of rhink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 08:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10760787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewasjustagirl/pseuds/shewasjustagirl
Summary: On the first day of school, Link wakes up in Rhett's bed - in Rhett's body.





	One Freaky Week

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to the lovely [Mythicalseries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythicalseries/pseuds/Mythicalseries) for her encouragement and helpful notes. You the best!

"Wake up, honey! You're gonna be late!" The light switch flicked on and Link closed his eyes harder against it, turning his face back into his pillow and willing away the intrusion. 

Diane McLaughlin peeked her head into the room again minutes later and caught his eyes as they opened drowsily. "Remember you're pickin' Link up for school. It's just day one, baby. Get a move on."

 _I'm picking Link...what?_ Link shook his head, rubbing at his eyes. Once they were fully open and the fog of sleep gone, realization dawned on him: he was in Rhett's bed. _But didn't she see me here? She looked right at me._

"Rhett?" Link whispered. _I don't remember sleeping over...and why would I be in the bed?_

A loud rumbling noise coming from inside him made Link jump and told him it was in fact time to get moving. He was hungry. Really hungry. 

His eyes darted around the room. "Dude, I'm starving, where are you? Where's my stuff?"

Something was wrong. As Link listened to himself talk, Rhett's voice spoke the words he mouthed. "Wait. What. Rhett? What's...?" 

Link threw back the covers of Rhett's bed and looked down. The dark navy fabric fluttered away to reveal long, thin legs covered in fine blond hair.

Somehow, Link resisted the urge to scream. In a panic, he leapt from the bed and ran toward Rhett's full length mirror, falling flat on his face.

 

"Cereal for breakfast?" Mrs. McLaughlin came around the corner and eyed her youngest son. "No one ever eats that unless Link's here."

"Uh, yeah, I just..." Link's mind raced to come up with an explanation. He'd grabbed the cereal as soon as he got downstairs and had scarfed down one bowl already. He was halfway through his second bowl now.

"You'll just eat anything that's around when you're hungry and your mama doesn't make breakfast on the first day of school," she smiled at him fondly. "I was moving slow this morning, too."

Link grinned at her, relieved, and said he didn't mind -- he was on his second bowl of cereal and it suited him just fine.

"I can't believe my baby's so grown up," Diane reached out for Link's -- Rhett's -- forearm and gave it a squeeze, grazing her thumb across it a few times before releasing it with a pat. "Tomorrow we'll have sausage and eggs, how's that?" 

"Sounds good, Mama Di."

"You boys," Diane chuckled at Rhett's use of the term Link used for her, and Link breathed another sigh of relief. "Get going, you gotta pick Link up and get to class."

Link slurped down the last of the milk in his bowl, marveling at the fact that he was, somehow, still hungry, and moved to wash out his dish. Mrs. McLaughlin took it from him and gave him a quick swat on the behind. "You going to start doing your dishes now?"

In the home's entryway, Link found Rhett's keys and headed for home’s side door. If nothing else, Link thought to himself, he did know his way around this house. That had been one small comfort throughout this eerie morning.

"Rhett, aren't you forgetting something?" Diane caught Link at the door and pulled Rhett's shoulders down to kiss his cheek as she handed him a backpack. "Be good. And tell Link hi for me."

 

Link pulled up outside his own house and honked the horn. It's what Rhett would have done. 

He'd had an odd morning, and he fidgeted nervously now, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in an improvised beat. Waking up in Rhett's body, dressing in Rhett's clothes, and eating breakfast with Rhett's mom were weird enough, but none of it prepared him for watching his own body walk toward him across the lawn.

Rhett avoided looking at the driver's seat as he settled Link's body into the passenger's side, tossing his book bag into the back and mumbling something about how easy it was to get in when he was this much shorter. Link gaped at him, overwhelmed by the feeling of looking into a mirror image that moved independent of him.

Rhett got settled and took a deep breath, finally turning to his left, and Link watched as his own face registered the uncanny feeling that had shocked through him just moments before. 

"Rhett?"

At the sound of his name, Rhett's expression changed, the momentary dread gone from what had yesterday been Link's face. Link saw his own blue eyes dance with Rhett's laughter. "Well yeah! What? You thought you took over my body and got to keep yours, too?"

Link started to pull away from the curb, setting his jaw at Rhett's flippant attitude. "Oh, sorry, I forgot about my other experiences switching bodies with people!"

"Okay, okay, chill. You're gonna wreck my car," Rhett chuckled. "And when you do, it's you my dad's going to kill." He reached to jostle Link, but caught himself. Shaking his own shoulder to mess with Link was just too much right now, so he settled his palms back into his lap instead.

 

They sat in front of the school for a long time, silent, unmoving. When a few friends tried to wave them over, Link, sullen in the driver's seat, ignored them, staring ahead, and Rhett gave them a quick, dismissive wave back before he turned again toward Link.

As he tried to catch Link's eyes, it occurred to him that looking into his own face may not be comforting for Link right now. It freaked Rhett out, too. Instead he reached out tentatively and gripped Link's right arm, rubbing it with his thumb.

"Link?" He waited for an answer, but Link kept his eyes facing forward and his mouth shut. "We'll figure this out, bo. We'll be okay." Still nothing. 

"Look, Link, don't be embarrassed." Link cocked up Rhett's eyebrow in question but said nothing. "I know you had to touch my dick to pee."

Rhett watched as the color rose up in his own face and Link began to grin, his cheeks balling up. When Link finally turned to look at him, the boys burst into laughter. Link swatted at the passenger seat, "If anything, I'm embarrassed for you, brother!" They broke into another fit of cackling laughter, Rhett mocking punches at Link's sides.

As they gasped for air, their final few giggles dying down, they looked out the windshield toward the school. It looked like any normal late-summer day. Everything was green and a hint of the morning’s moisture hung in the air. But the only thing normal about this morning for either of them was that they were by each other’s side through it.

"Okay," Rhett said. "We can do this. Be cool." He looked Link over, reaching up and unbuttoning the top buttons on his shirt. "Dude, have you ever seen me wear my shirts like this?"

"I just got dressed, man! I was starving. And I was dealing with the fact that _I wasn't me._ "

Link had a point. "Okay, well, you're going to have to start thinking like you're me." Rhett noticed now that Link had a dark red scratch on the left side of his head. Of Rhett's head. He touched it delicately with his fingertips. "What did you do to my face?" 

A sheepish smile that was distinctly Link spread across the blond boy's face. "I tripped. Your legs are so weird, man."

 

They met up after school and drove to Link's house. His mom wouldn't be home until late.

For a little while, sitting on the floor in the plainly furnished living room, they talked through their day. Their schedules weren’t the same, and they traded notes for those three classes in case they were back in their own bodies by morning. 

As the sun set and they wrapped up their notes, Link knew he’d have to leave soon. They broke into excited chattering about the things they'd observed as they lived in each other’s bodies that day.

"I've been hungry all day, Rhett, what the heck!" / "I tell you that all the time!"

"Dude, I saw you trip at least five times, you gotta learn to walk." / "I kept thinking I was going to walk into doors, man!"

“Your mom kissed me on the cheek this morning.” / “Your mom kissed me on the mouth!”

They were coming down from a fit of giggles when Rhett reached out and elbowed Link. "Have you ever noticed that girls start whispering to each other when you smile at them?" Link grinned and nodded, looking down at his hands. Rhett nudged him again. “I’m going to take advantage of that if this keeps up, brother. The girls think you’re shy, but -- ”

Link looked up now, cutting Rhett off as he began to monologue. “If this keeps up? You don’t think it will...do you?”

"Well, here's the only thing I can think of,” Rhett said. “Remember what we were saying about today being ten years since we met?"

"Yeah?"

"What if...what if we switch bodies every ten years?"

Link sighed heavily. "Rhett, lots of people know each other forever without literally becoming each other."

"But we're connected," Rhett reached out and grabbed one of the hands that had been his for 16 years. He turned it, palm up, on his knee and showed Link the fading scar. “Remember?”

The reverence in Rhett's voice and the earnest look in his own wide blue eyes moved Link, and his heart began to race. 

"Well, yeah, but," Link stumbled. "Oh gosh, Rhett. You really think that's it?"

"We're blood brothers, Link. Our souls are...linked," Rhett looked deadly serious. "If nothing changes when we wake up tomorrow, I think this may last a long time."

 

Link asked the McLaughlins that night, and every day that week after school, but Rhett's parents wouldn't let them stay over together at either of their houses until Friday night. 

By Wednesday, when Link brought it up for the third time, Mr. McLaughlin had had enough of his pleading. "No, Rhett. When we say you can't sleep over there, we mean he can't come here either," he chided. "Didn't you see enough of Link this summer?"

Link stammered out an "I guess so" and moved for Rhett's room. As he slumped up the stairs he heard Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin arguing about Rhett. 

"He's sensitive, Jim. I don't know why you have to stay on him like that."

"I may need to have a conversation with him. He's a man now. He needs to grow out of this."

"Oh, shush. They're best friends. And honey, he's tall, but he just _looks_ grown." Link heard Mr. McLaughlin sigh, but Diane pressed on. "He's a boy. Leave him be."

 

By lunchtime on Thursday, Link and Rhett had cut themselves off from everyone else at school. They were sitting huddled together at each other's side, facing the wall in the farthest corner of the small cafeteria.

Link picked at the salad he'd chosen for lunch, pushing its tomatoes to the side. The last three mornings he had woken up in Rhett's bed and eaten big breakfasts cooked for him by Mrs. McLaughlin. He appreciated her dedication to Rhett and his love of hearty meals, but all that food was making Link feel queasy and weighted-down. He always woke up hungry, though, and he didn't have the heart to tell her he'd rather just eat a box of cereal every morning.

Rhett, on the other hand, was taking big bites of one of the two cheeseburgers he'd picked out for lunch. He had been eating cereal and peanut butter toast for breakfast every morning, and while he wasn't as hungry as he would have been in his own body, he missed his favorite foods.

"Do you have to eat that?" Link finally broke the silence between them and stared at Rhett as he began to pick up the second cheeseburger. "You're going to make me sick."

Rhett heard a group of freshman girls talking at the table behind theirs and replied quietly, with as much calm as he could, "You only eat cereal at home, dude. I'm hungry. What do you care?" 

Link rolled his eyes. But he didn't catch the moderation in Rhett's tone, and he raised his voice a little. "When I have to deal with that body later, I'm not going to want it all greasy!" 

"Shut up, dude.” Rhett lowered his voice again, nearly whispering now. “Someone's gonna hear you." Then, unable to stop himself from arguing, he added, "And not everything that goes in my mouth is your business." 

"Your mouth is my mouth, and what goes in it is my business!" Link was practically yelling now. The girls behind them giggled and stared openly as they watched the boy they knew as Rhett McLaughlin yell down at his best friend.

"Well then maybe you need to eat more calories!" Rhett fired back. "My body is big and you're gonna get tired out later if you don't!"

A howl of laughter rose from the table behind them.

Link heard the group now and felt his ears going red at the realization that he had caused a scene. He turned to see six young girls gaping at him, and he blushed through Rhett's cheeks at them before lowering his voice and turning back to Rhett. "Switch?"

"Yeah, fine." Rhett handed Link his second cheeseburger. With an elaborate show of frustration, he popped a tomato in his mouth. Link wasn’t watching now. He stared down at the burger and shifted his weight a little closer to Rhett as he took a bite. 

Rhett took a deep breath, scowled down at his food, and finished what was left of the salad. "We gotta figure this out, brother."

 

With the promise of an entire pizza for each of them, and that he wouldn’t nag Rhett about eating it, Link had convinced Rhett to let them stay at Link's house Friday night.

He looked sullen as he pleaded. "I miss my mom, Rhett. Plus… I'm scared of your dad,” he added, catching Rhett’s eyes. “He hates me, and he knows something's different about you."

Rhett gave him a sympathetic look. Link living with Jim McLaughlin had been among Rhett’s biggest worries this week. "Alright, buddyroll. We'll stay at your place."

 

As Link busied himself packing a small duffel bag, Mrs. McLaughlin stepped into Rhett’s room and sat at the foot of the bed, patting a place beside her.

Link hesitated. Folding another shirt, he looked over at her, and she inclined her head. Link took his place beside her, reminding himself that he was playing the part of her youngest son. Her only hatchling remaining in the nest.

"You okay, baby?"

"Yes ma'am, I'm okay."

"You've really been wantin' to spend a lot of time with Link this week. Is everything okay with you two?"

"Link? Oh, yeah, um...yes ma'am, we're fine." Link looked down at his hands.

"Rhett, honey. You've got me a little worried about you. You sure you're alright? If it's not, you can talk to me about it."

Link tried to think through what he could possibly say. The truth didn't work. And he'd already spent more time alone with Diane this week than he had in the last ten years combined. He finally settled on his best attempt.

"Me and R--Link. Well, it feels like we're two parts of the same person. If that makes sense? I don't know." He looked up at Mrs. McLaughlin, and she smiled, nodding encouragingly. "We just like hangin' out while we still can, I guess."

"Mama," Link resisted attaching her first name this time. His eyes welled up, and he confessed as much as he could. "It's just...I feel like the Neals, they're my family, too. Y'know what I mean?"

"Of course they are, baby." Diane pulled him into a tight hug. With a small, soft thumb, she wiped a tear from Link’s cheek and dabbed at her own eyes.

“You promise you’ll tell me if something’s not okay?”

“I…well,” Link didn’t want to lie to her. Something was not okay. “What if everything’s not quite right and I just…need to think about it? Before I can talk?”

She took his hands and looked deep into her son’s dark grey eyes. “When you’re ready I’ll be here. Always. Okay?”

Link smiled. “Okay.”

“Now, get your stuff.” Diane wiped at her eyes. “You staying the whole weekend?”

“I think so. Do you mind?”

“No, y’all have fun. But come see me tomorrow! I feel like I haven’t seen Link in a while!”

Link laughed now, hugging her again and promising he and “Link” would be there for lunch the next day.

 

That night, the boys agreed to try everything they could think of, without crossing state lines, to figure this out. On Tuesday, Rhett had suggested driving down to New Orleans and finding someone who knew voodoo, but Link nixed the idea. He now admitted to himself it was beginning to sound less crazy with every passing day.

They had a list of potential remedies to try, none of which would work, right there in their North Carolina community.

They walked down to a cow pasture, climbing through its broken fence, and jumped repeatedly from opposite directions over one of the animals’ carcasses. When that didn’t work, they ran at each other, slamming their bodies together and falling to the ground, their heads spinning. With headaches and new bruises, they went back to Link’s house to try singing harmonies and switching parts mid-melody.

After an exercise in attempting to perfectly mirror each other’s movements and divine the word the other was going to say, they attempted a southern teenage boy’s understanding of meditation, imagining floating out of these bodies and into their own.

“I think that one was almost working!” Rhett exclaimed as they gave it up. Link plopped himself onto his bed, crossing his new long legs under him and digging the heels of his hands into his eyes.

Rhett joined him on the bed. “I know. This was stupid. I’m sorry.”

Link continued burying his face in his hands.

Rhett nudged him. "But I think we're pullin' this off okay, brother. You finally stopped tripping ten times a day." He watched for a smile on the face he tried to accept now belonged to his friend. None came.

“Rhett, have you thought about…we might…there's a chance you’re the only person in the world who will ever know me now.” Link looked up at him, and Rhett nodded.

For long moments they stared at each other, letting themselves ponder the idea that this may be the only person they'd ever get to be themselves with.

Suddenly, Rhett surged forward, pulling Link into a tight hug. “It’s too freaky that you have my face, man,” he breathed.  


They both sighed into the embrace. From this angle, neither of them looked like they were in the wrong bodies. Pressed together, their hearts beating together as they breathed, everything was normal. They were Rhett and Link.

After several long, silent minutes, Rhett moved one arm, sliding it down Link’s and interlacing their hands.

They jumped away from each other at the touch, sounding in unison, “The blood oath!”

 

Link was disappointed when Rhett admitted, moments later, that he had lost his copy. “I had it in my backpack, man. I think I lost it when we went to the river a couple weeks ago.”

He was disappointed, but he was more hopeful than he had been in a week. This was it. He knew it.

So they set off once more, in the moonlight, for the pasture. For their rock.

 

They sat together on the wide, sloped rock’s highest point. This wasn’t the time for one of them to have the floor. This was something they had to do together.

Link held his copy of their oath as though it were an ancient relic, likely to fall apart or turn them to stone if they treated it improperly. He looked into Rhett’s eyes now, lowering his voice to sound as serious as possible.

“You lost your copy before. So I need to know. We need to decide. Are we renewing the oath or terminating it?”

“You kiddin’, bo?” Rhett turned quickly, shooting Link a look of disbelief.

“I just think we have to be sure, ‘specially if this thing is some kind of magic.”

“I’m sure, Link. Are you?”

Link grinned, nodding. “I’m sure.”

He opened a pocket knife, preparing himself for the blood as much as he could, and retrieved two pieces of paper from a small bag. While Rhett held up a small flashlight, Link carefully transcribed the words from the artifact, the proof of their lifelong commitment, squinting to see a few of the words through the dried blood and years of wear.

When he was satisfied, Link handed a copy of the oath to Rhett, and they chanted together:

_We, Charles Lincoln Neal III and Rhett James McLaughlin,_  
_do solemnly swear that we will do great things together._  
_We will accomplish the unimaginable together,  
_ _linked for life as brothers in blood and soul._

Slowly, carefully, he cut open Rhett’s palm and then his own, Rhett placing a steadying hand on his back as he swayed at the sight.

Their eyes met again and they rubbed the hands together before spreading them across the paper.

__

And then they waited.

__

 

__

Link awoke to the sound of birds chirping and cows mooing and Rhett breathing mere inches from his face. The morning sun kissed his cheeks, and he turned to face it and Rhett.

__

The tall blond boy curled up in the grass stirred, and Link admired him for a moment. When he awoke, Rhett bolted upright. “Link!”

__

“Rhett.”

__

“I missed you.”

__

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thanks to [Missingparentheses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missingparentheses/pseuds/Missingparentheses) for letting me use her words to the oath! (GO READ HER STUFF)
> 
> I appreciate any kudos and comments! Thank you so much for reading! <3
> 
> And come find me on [Tumblr](http://clemwasjustagirl.tumblr.com/) if you're into that kind of thing.


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